Superstar 850

“Jun. You could seriously teach acting.”

Director Wilma quietly spoke.

On the set, Haley Rosie had begun acting—now fully immersed, a far cry from her earlier struggles.

Her eyes, wide with surprise, flickered as if trying to measure the size of the massive wolf in front of her. Her feet hesitated in fear, and her mouth fell open as she took a deep breath.

But then—she realized the presence before her was Theo. Because in those large yellow eyes, there was familiarity. A smile spread across “Claire’s” face.

The crew, who had been worried just moments ago, rubbed their eyes in disbelief.

It really felt like a giant wolf stood in front of Haley Rosie. A presence only she could see.

‘To be able to immerse herself that quickly…’

Watching Haley Rosie transform so dramatically with just a few words from Seojun, Director Wilma felt certain—this young actor had a knack for teaching.

“Haley understood it well.”

“And making someone ‘understand well’ is the hard part, Jun.”

Seojun smiled at Wilma’s response.

Neither took their eyes off the scene.

“Claire” gently reached out and placed her hand on the wolf’s snout.

The firm, glossy green ball touched by Haley Rosie suddenly seemed to transform—appearing rough, yet soft, like an actual wolf’s nose.

Then, she stepped back a few paces, still gazing at the wolf.

Her eyes, her expression, her movements—flawless.

“Cut! Okay!”

Director Wilma called it with satisfying energy.

A round of applause soon followed from the once-silent staff.

Haley Rosie descended the set with an embarrassed, yet joyful smile. Her clenched fists gave away just how happy she was.

“Well done, Haley.”

Seojun clapped from beside the monitor. Haley blushed slightly.

“That wasn’t worth clapping for, was it?”

“You did great. It’s only right to say so.”

“Exactly. Truly well done, Haley.”

“It’s all thanks to Jun.”

The warm atmosphere drew smiles all around.

On a set, nothing lifted spirits like a well-shot scene.

The three of them watched Haley’s take on the monitor. Even with CG work in mind, the performance held up well.

“We’re ready to move on to the next scene.”

Relieved, Haley looked at Seojun.

“Sorry for making you wait, Jun.”

“No worries.”

Since he didn’t have extra prep, they decided to move forward as scheduled.

Seojun turned on the power of the wolf ear headband using a remote. Director Wilma and Haley Rosie both looked at the ears with sparkling eyes.

“Are my ears moving well?”

Though it had been checked in the makeup room, Seojun gave a small performance to test it again.

“Yes! They’re moving perfectly!”

“They’re great!”

The wolf ears twitched toward the voices of Haley and Director Wilma, reacting like real fur-covered ears.

“Insane…!”

“Amazing!”

Haley gasped, covering her mouth, while Director Wilma looked awestruck.

Even the staff were staring.

They already looked real when motionless—but now, moving? It was stunning.

And they suited Seojun perfectly.

“Let’s get to filming!”

Director Wilma’s eyes sparkled, eager to keep rolling. Seojun and Haley laughed as they headed to the set.

A green chroma key backdrop, lush grass underfoot—it was an outdoor set.

The wind was mild, the sky clear.

Seojun and Haley faced each other from a short distance—exactly where “Claire” and the “wolf” had stood earlier.

Crew whispered from the sidelines.

“She nailed it before, but I bet she’ll do even better now.”

“Yeah, with a scene partner this time.”

Haley felt the same way.

“Acting with Jun makes me feel relaxed.”

She let out a sigh of relief. Seojun chuckled.

“Told you you did well.”

“Still, it’s tough. If it weren’t you, I’d have struggled all day to get into it.”

While they chatted casually, the costume team did a final check and stepped out of frame.

From the monitor, Director Wilma called out:

“Ready!”

At that, Seojun and Haley shed their real selves and became their characters.

And Seojun activated one more layer.

[(Good) Werewolf Humanization – Intermediate Activated.]

[(Good) Werewolf Humanization – Intermediate]
Transforms the user into a human form.
Grants partial access to werewolf senses.
Reveals the werewolf’s primal nature.

This was the most fitting ability Seojun had used since the elf role in Escape.

‘And easy to find, too.’

He had plenty of past-life books where he was born a werewolf.

One was [(Good) Werewolf Partial Transformation], which included a visible tail—but he skipped that version for now.

‘I’ll save it for later.’

Smiling internally, Seojun checked himself.

As expected, he remained in human form, but now radiated a wild werewolf aura.

He took a slow breath in and out.

Everything felt heightened—his senses, his instincts. He could feel a hunter’s and warrior’s awareness inside him.

Though “Good”-aligned, his presence brimmed with animalistic intensity.

Haley Rosie, facing him, widened her eyes.

Jun’s entire vibe had shifted.

But it was familiar—she had imagined it just earlier.

‘That’s a wolf.’

Standing in front of her was the very wolf she had envisioned—disguised in human skin.

No… it felt more real than what she had imagined. Even though werewolves didn’t exist, this one seemed plausible.

Her eyes shook in surprise, which Director Wilma didn’t miss.

“Action!”

Claire and Molly stared at the figure before them. The massive wolf had shifted into a human.

Wolf ears still stood upright on his head, but it was unmistakably Theo.

It was surreal.

She had heard all about werewolves, but seeing him shift back and forth like that made it all real.

His presence too.

‘He’s never felt like this before…’

Just the sight of those ears—just that—was enough to give Theo a heavy, mysterious aura, like the great wolf from before. His black eyes held the echo of wild yellow ones, and even his hair now looked more lupine.

Familiar, yet foreign. Foreign, yet familiar.

“I can talk in wolf form too… but I don’t really like it.”

“Ah… I see.”

Claire smiled awkwardly at Theo’s bitter words, then simply nodded.

‘It’s probably because of the tail.’

From Claire’s perspective, wolf-formed Theo was wondrous and awe-inspiring, tail or not—but it might feel different for him.

“He really doesn’t have a tail even when half-transformed.”

Molly peeked behind Theo and spoke.

She didn’t sound like she was teasing—more like a doctor calmly stating a diagnosis. Her tone grounded the mood. Theo smiled faintly, and Claire, unsure what to say, calmed too.

“Any other symptoms?”

To Molly’s question, Theo shook his head.

“No. Everything else is fine.”

“Hmm. Then it probably is a curse that weakens your power.”

At the word “curse,” Theo’s ears twitched. Claire figured he was listening intently.

For a moment—she thought he looked cute.

“Cut! Okay!”

Director Wilma’s shout broke the immersion—followed by admiration.

“Jun! Seriously…!”

She was speechless, her eyes shining.

Haley Rosie couldn’t look away from Seojun either.

Even though she had watched him rehearse many times, seeing it live was different. It was impossible not to be in awe.

Acting as something imaginary—like a werewolf—was incredibly difficult.

And yet, Seojun made it real.

“So different from before… so much more intense.”

“Right. Theo’s no longer hiding who he is. Now he’s opened up, shared his past, and shown his wolf form—he can be himself.”

“Exactly!”

Wilma nodded enthusiastically at Seojun’s explanation.

It was an interpretation anyone could reach—but to convey it through acting was an extraordinary feat.

“I’m really looking forward to the rest of the shoot.”

Such a cool, wild, untamed werewolf.

As a fan of the original novel Eclipse, Wilma couldn’t be more thrilled.

---

Filming continued smoothly afterward.

“All right, that’s a wrap for today!”

At Wilma’s call, Seojun and Haley returned to the waiting room while the crew packed up the set.

“I thought we’d run late today because of a few takes.”

“Late? We’re wrapping on time.”

A senior chided a junior, who chuckled.

“We’ve been finishing early every shoot, so I just assumed… I honestly thought we’d go late today.”

It was thanks to Seojun, Haley Rosie, and Director Wilma hitting their marks every time—and the cats, too.

“Once more people join the shoot, we won’t wrap early like this, huh?”

“Probably not. Especially with the upcoming action scenes. If anything, it’ll take longer.”

The team sighed lightly. Even in punctual Hollywood, no one hated finishing early.

“All right, see you all tomorrow.”

“Great work, everyone!”

After checking the next day’s set, the crew headed home.

Well—not all of them.

One group hopped into a car bound for their favorite bar.

“The game’s not over yet, right?”

The driver asked. The others pulled out their phones. The passenger adjusted the radio. It was a synchronized routine.

“Sixth inning. Score’s 3 to 1.”

“Are we the 3?”

“…No. We’re the 1.”

Silence.

[“Oh! He hits it! It’s between first and second—base hit! It’s a hit!”]

The radio erupted with the announcer’s shout.

[“The runner rounds third and heads for home! And—LA Dodgers give up another run!”]

Now it was 4 to 1.

“Ughhh…!!”

The car exploded in groans.

They were all Dodgers fans—who had just gotten off work and immediately heard the bad news.